CO-Horts

CO-Horts

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

A successful butterfly garden will have several key features which create a suitable habitat for butterflies and their larva called caterpillars. The first thing to remember is to avoid using insecticides in your garden.

Next be sure your garden has the proper water. Create areas where water can puddle then add rocks in the sun so butterflies can sun and warm themselves. Last, add plants which will provide shelter and food throughout the entire season. Butterflies tend to be attracted to brightly colored fragrant flowers. Plants to consider growing for a butterfly garden in Colorado include bee balm, butterfly bush, dill, lilac, parsley, yarrow, zinnias, and other nectar bearing plants.

Notice: By activating the link, you will be leaving this Colorado State University Extension website. Links are provided for educational purposes, consistent with the CSU Extension mission. We do not attest to the accuracy, objectivity or research base of the information provided, nor do we imply any endorsement of the information, products or services you may find there.

Extension programs are available to all without discriminationColorado State University Extension, U.S. Department of Agriculture and Colorado counties cooperating.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Spring is coming and gardeners are itchy to get outside and
start planting. You've received seed catalogs for months now, and you’re
totally over the wind and cold. I guess we should be glad that we don’t live in
Minnesota (sorry, mom and dad). There is one thing you can do to get your hands
dirty (literally) and prepare for the 2014 gardening season—do a soil test.

If you've never done it before, it’s a good baseline to start with. If you've gardened for years and keep adding organic matter, fertilizer, cover crops, etc., it
will be a great indicator if you need to continue those practices. Soil
testing, especially in vegetable gardens, should be as routine as planting peas
in the spring. Plus, it’s really easy to do—the soil lab does all the tough
work for you. Follow the steps below to
ace the soil test:

1. Gather your tools. In this
case, I’m using a soil probe (but you can use a shovel or trowel), a
plastic bucket and a container for submitting my soil sample. Some
Extension offices may have probes that you can borrow or rent for a small
fee. It’s really important that your bucket is clean and made from plastic—metal
(especially rusted metal) can interfere with your results. The sample jar
I’m using is one the CSU Soil Testing Laboratory provides (available at
your local Extension office), but a quart-sized zip-top bag will work, as
will paper bags.

2. Scout your area. In this
example, I’m taking soil samples from a lawn, but this could be your
garden, landscape bed or any other area you wish to test. If you’re having
“problem areas” in a lawn or garden, then consider testing that section separately. Yes, you’ll have to pay for two soil tests, but it
might be worth it—especially if you've had continual problems growing in
that spot.

The lawn can be dormant; soil may be sampled anytime the ground isn't frozen.

3. You want to get a
representative sample from the entire
area. You can do this by pulling at least 12-15 samples, which you
will mix together. For the lawn, you’re looking for cores about 4” deep
(or collect aeration cores and use those—just be sure to remove the thatch
and grass). In the vegetable
garden, use a shovel or trowel to sample about 6” deep. Gathering multiple
samples, mixing them together and submitting a subsample of the soil
collected will be key to a successful soil test.

Gently push down on the probe to 4-6" deep.

Sample of soil pulled from the turf.

Remove the thatch and grass from the soil core.

4. Gather all your samples
together in the clean plastic bucket, break up the big clods and then mix
well. Remove any large roots or rocks. Fill your sample container with a
portion of the mixture and put the rest of the soil back in the garden (or
on the lawn).

Chunky cores.

Cores broken up.

Pour your sample into your sampling jar or baggie.

5. Do not send the lab wet
soils, so let your sample air-dry for a few days before packaging it up.
Then send it off for analysis. A routine soil test at CSU will cost $31
and includes pH, soluble salts (EC), nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium,
organic matter, soil texture, iron, sulfates and some micronutrients. Or
you can pick and choose what you want to test for. Some gardeners in
flooded areas are testing for heavy metals, which is an additional charge.
You should get your results via email in 7-10 days.

Let your soil sample air-dry for a couple days before submitting to the lab.

6. A soil test will not
tell you about pesticide residuals, toxic compounds, microbial
activity, water requirements, compaction levels or why you cannot grow
tomatoes worth a darn.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

If you’re looking for an easy to grow plant for your home or office, consider a rubber plant. Rubber plants are long lived plants which adapt quickly to the conditions in your home or office.

Just be sure that night time temperatures do not drop below 65 degrees Fahrenheit.

Because rubber plants don’t like to have wet feet, plant in a pot that has a saucer and drains well. Remember to water and fertilize regularly and after watering, drain any excess water out of the saucer.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

By Carrie Shimada, Weld County Extension

They come in white, yellow and pink.They are beautiful, exotic, and sexy; and
while they do not cost two month’s salary- they are often linked to
status.Yes. . . .Orchids, are the
ultimate in plant couture.With over
300,000 licensed cultivars, the orchid is to the plant enthusiast, as the
diamond is to the gem-lover- rare, long-lasting, and a symbol of beauty.

Orchids typically carry the stigma of being a difficult
plant to grow, but with a bit of care, anyone can be successful at growing an
orchid, even though they could be considered the plant world’s diamond.

There are a few species of orchids that fare well as a
houseplant:phalaenopsis, cattleya, and dendrobium, and cymbidium– each with their own characteristics.

Phalaenopsis
species, or the moth orchid, are the most elegant indoor orchids.They have long arching sprays of flowers that
bloom in winter and last for several months and they adapt well to the home
setting.

Cattleya species
are commonly used in corsages.They
bloom once per year in the spring or fall and the flowers last anywhere from
2-6 weeks.

Dendrobium species
bloom during the fall or winter and they remain for 3-4 weeks. Their floral
displays are showy, long sprays of white, lavender, or a combination of the
two.

Cymbidium species
have thick, waxy petals, with petals ranging from one inch to five inches in
diameter and they can have up to 20 flowers on one stem.

In short, they should be fine
in your house during the normal night-time temperature.Just don’t leave them in a window during a
winter freeze.

Light:

Phalaenopsis species
thrive under low light levels.They
perform best in bright windows with little or no direct sun, such as an east-facing
window.They can also be grown in
artificial light, such as in an office setting.

Cattleya and Dendrobium species grow best in bright
light to some sun.They do not like
direct midday sun, but they do like a slightly shaded south or west-facing
window.

Cymbidium species
have very high light requirements- a south facing window is best.

Watering

If you want to kill your orchid- let it sit in a waterlogged pot,
as overwatering will kill your plant.To
avoid this, follow a couple rules:

-When orchids are actively growing, water once a week and allow
them to dry slightly before the next watering.Unless it is of the phalaenopsis species- they do not like to dry out.

-When watering- apply enough water to get water to drain from the
bottom of the pot.

-When the orchid is done flowering, reduce watering.

-Do not allow water to remain on the leaves of your orchid, as
this may lead to disease.

Fertilization

When orchids are actively growing and flowering they need to be
fertilized on a regular basis.Be sure
to follow the fertilizer label- over fertilization will quickly kill your
orchid.

Fertilize once a month using a water-soluble fertilizer.Select a 30-10-10 fertilizer if your orchid
is grown in a bark media; select a 20-10-10 fertilizer if you orchid is growing
in any other medium.

After flowering, reduce fertilization until new leaf growth
appears.

Humidity

Orchids prefer an environment with 40-60% humidity; since that is
too humid for your home ( we live in Colorado after all) it is important to
supplement the humidity.

Placing the orchid pot in a tray of pebbles with a small amount of
water, having a humidifier in the room, or occasionally misting the orchid with
distilled water can supply your orchid with the needed supplemental moisture.

Planting
Media

Do not plant your orchid in regular potting mix- this will kill
the plant.Since most orchids are
epiphytes, they grow best in soilless mixtures with bark or cork. (Epiphytes
are plants that grow by attaching themselves to tree bark in order to absorb
water and nutrients.) Orchid planting mixtures are commonly available on the market- it
is best to use these, as they will provide the orchids with good aeration and
drainage.

As with any brilliant diamond- beauty and grace require care, but
the payoff is big.The long-lasting,
sometimes fragrant, and always elegant orchid may not fit in a small blue box,
but they will add a bit of sexy to your home without the hefty price.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Micaela Truslove, Broomfield County ExtensionMy husband and I jumped on the urban poultry bandwagon about
two years ago, and we haven’t looked back. Once you get used to the
saffron-yellow yolks of homegrown chicken eggs, there’s no going back to the
watery, pale yellow grocery store variety. You’ll find no shortage of articles
and books touting the benefits of raising your own chickens, and though they do
have their challenges, the garden can benefit from a backyard flock.

Compost: Now that it has the nearly undivided attention of
our girls, our compost has never looked better. The chickens spend the majority
of every day in the compost pile rototilling the contents into wonderful black
humus. Hours and hours spent scratching and turning means our compost is done
in at least half the time. While they are in the pile scratching around, they
are also incorporating their manure. The bedding and manure from the coop also
go into the pile each time I clean it out. I try to keep this in the “holding”
rather than the actively cooking pile so they don’t have access to it right
away. I slowly add the mostly composted material from the bottom of the holding
pile into the cooking pile.

Chickens are very curious and get up to all kinds of

antics. Photo: Micaela Truslove

There are also other chicken byproducts that make it into
the pile. Crushed eggshells go out with the kitchen waste and feathers from the
bedding and their daily activities are also added. Though eggshells are rich in
calcium, studies have shown that they don’t make any significant difference
when incorporated roughly crushed. They need to be finely ground, which is more
than I’m willing to do. Our soils also tend to be rich in calcium already. If
there is a deficiency, as evidenced by symptoms such as blossom end rot in
tomatoes, it is usually due to uneven moisture, which inhibits uptake by the
plant.

One important note on chicken manure – it should be
composted before going into the garden, just like any other manure. This is
especially true if the manure is going anywhere near edibles. There are crops
that are more risky than others as far as food-borne pathogens are concerned. Those
fruits and vegetables that are in direct contact with the soil are more likely
to be contaminated than others, and care should be taken to wash produce
thoroughly.This goes for any manure. To avoid possible contamination from harmful bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella, do not
harvest crops for at least 120 days after adding fresh manure.

Weed control: I have to say that this has been a very
marginal benefit. One of the things on the top of my “reasons to get chickens”
list was that they would help keep the weeds down. It is true that they are
voracious omnivores, but they have shown little interest in the most
problematic weeds in our back yard. Maybe they’ve decided that there is a
steady enough stream of good stuff coming from the house that they needn’t
bother with the twisting forest of bindweed that we are plagued with (dang
it!).

However, they are fantastic at keeping the lawn nice and
short. Grazing is another favorite activity, and they eat grass until they are
literally stuffed with it and the blades of tender green shoots protrude from
their beaks because their bellies are literally too full to swallow any more.
If chickens suffer from a vice, it is most definitely gluttony.

Eating a container of yogurt and fruit that

spent too long in the fridge. With chickens,

nothing goes to waste! Photo: Micaela Truslove

Insect control: We never tire of watching our girls going
about their business. They are incredibly curious and a little dippy, which
makes for hours of entertainment. One of their favorite pastimes is chasing insects
that manage to find their way into the chicken yard . They race around with the
unfortunate morsel hanging from their beaks with the rest of the flock in hot
pursuit. For some reason they never just gulp it down when they catch it, so there
is always a game of keep away before the insect is finally consumed. If I find
an army cutworm hiding at the base of a small plant or a grasshopper munching
on my lettuce, into the chicken yard it goes and hilarity ensues. They spend a
good deal of time after an irrigation tugging on worms in a cartoon-like
fashion.

One trend that I recently discovered is the idea of having a
“chicken moat” around the perimeter of the garden. The thinking is that the
chickens will intercept many of the insects trying to enter, hunting them down
like a pack of velociraptors from a movie. They really are quite effective at
this, and very quick. It also means that they do not have free access to the
garden because they don’t quite understand that it is okay to eat mallow, but I
would rather they didn’t decimate the rest of the veggie patch, which they’d do
in minutes if allowed. So the pictures you see on Pinterest of perfect raised
bed gardens with nasturtiums spilling over the edges and chickens roaming the
perfectly manicured pathways politely plucking bugs from the plants while
leaving them intact is misleading at best, at least that has been my
experience.

As far as using crushed eggshells as slug control, there are
mixed reviews as to their efficacy. Slugs are sensitive to irritants such as
diatomaceous earth, which wound their slimy outer coating causing them to
desiccate, the evidence is mixed as to whether or not eggshells perform the
same function.

Though there are a few challenges to having
chickens roaming the garden, we have found that there are great benefits as
well, not least of which is the entertainment value. If you are thinking of
getting a backyard flock of your own, my advice is to limit their access to
desirable plants and instead give them their own space. Allowing them access to
the compost pile will do wonders, and will save you a sore back from having to
turn the pile regularly. They will keep your insect problems in check and
provide plenty of nitrogen-rich manure. One study from the University of Missouri found that one four-pound chicken produces a whopping 28-80 pounds of
manure every year! And you certainly can’t beat the fresh eggs.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

Posted by David Whiting, Department of Horticulture & LA, Colorado State University

It is cold today.Let’s review winter hardiness.

Hardiness
refers to a plant’s tolerance to cold winter conditions.Low temperature is only one of many factors influencing
plant hardiness.Other factors include:

·Photoperiod – The photoperiod (increasing length
of the night) is the first signal that trees receive that winter is approaching.This is of special concern when the parent
stock of woody plants is selected from southern latitudes then planted in more
northern areas.The change in
photoperiods may not properly trigger the beginning of the hardening for the
tree.

·Genetics – Plants have a genetic minimum that
they can survive.However, this will be
trumped by temperature patterns over a multi-week period and short-term
temperature swings.

·Low temperatures – Temperatures this week may cause
problems on some less hardy plants.

·Recent temperature pattern – Hardiness is a factor the temperature
the past few weeks.Trees significantly
increase hardiness when the temperatures decline slowly over a period of week.When I lived in Minnesota, it was interesting
how many plants were tolerant to the extreme cold (-20° to -30° F
common) that are not hardy in Colorado.

·Rapid temperature changes – Plant are rather intolerant of
rapid temperature swings, so common of the Colorado winters with spring weather
one week and a sudden return to winter.This is the factor that most limited our plant pallet for Colorado.

·Moisture – Trees loose about 20°
hardiness when they go into winter with dry soils.

·Sun and wind exposure – In our sunny climate, bark
temperatures on trees can heat to 70° to over 80° in the
winter sunshine.Then freeze at
night.This leads to winter bark injury.On evergreens, exposure to constant wind is a
major hardiness issue, dehydrating the needles.

·Carbohydrate reserve – General plant health plays into
hardiness.Plants with a good supply of
stored photosynthates are more hardy then plants that experienced growth
limiting factors the pervious summer.

The USDA Hardiness Zone
Map indicates the average
annual minimum temperature expected for geographic areas.Keep in mind the map is looking regionally,
and does as does not take into account the microclimate changes in your elevation,
drainage, exposure (aspect), or thermal heat loading.So, in mountain communities, the zone for
your area may not reflect the actual microclimate of your yard.Actual microclimates maybe one or even two
zone warmer or cooler.

Examples of Winter
Injury

Bud kill and dieback – From spring and fall frosts or from extreme low temperatures.

Root temperature injury – Roots have limited tolerance to sub-freezing temperatures.Roots receive limited protection from soil, mulch, and snow.Under extreme cold, roots may be killed by the lack of snow cover or mulch.Perennial flowers that are hardy under snow cover, may not survive the winters without snow cover and thus become an annual rather than a perennial.

Soil heaving – The freeze thaw cycle of the soil can push plants out of the soil, breaking roots.Protect with snow cover or mulch.

Trunk injury – This is common on the southwest side of tree and is directly linked to drought. This is more common on trees with hardscape over the rooting zone and soil compaction limiting the water infiltration into the rooting zone.

oSunscald – Caused by heating of bark on sunny winter days
followed by a rapid temperature drop, rupturing cell membranes in the freeze
thaw cycle.

oFrost shake – Separation of wood along one or more growth rings,
typically between phloem (inner bark) and xylem (wood), caused by sudden rise
in bark temperature.

Monday, February 3, 2014

My Amaryllis is just about to bloom (maybe a little late for
the holidays, but perhaps just in time for Valentine's day).I try
to enjoy it for as long as it lasts (moving it down into the cooler downstairs
to prolong the show), but it is always fleeting.

Amaryllis in full bloom

This got me thinking about all the room I give to plants
that bloom but once a year. I water them, feed them, make sure they have their
happy amount of light, watch for insects, and in general, worry about them for
the entire year.They spend most of the
year as just greenery, and then shine for a just a few short weeks.Other plants in this category are my
Epiphyllum ‘cactus’, my night-blooming jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum), and some of my orchids.

Are they worth the space they take up and the care I lavish
on them?What about my more quotidian
plants like my faithful geraniums, which are almost never out of bloom, or my
heliotrope, which blooms in regular cycles? Or even my Amazonian lily (Eucharisamazonica) and Chinese perfume plant (Aglaia odorata), which bloom more sporadically, but usually at
least twice a year?Should these plants
not be even more appreciated, because they are always providing me cheer, even
in the depths of winter?

Orange Amaryllis and Pelargoniums (Geraniums)

There are other reliable houseplants that are sporadic
bloomers or even everbloomers (crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii) some Hoyas, Lipstick plant (Aeschynanthus radicans) that I don’t grow, which also qualify as
the workhorses of the houseplant world.Also
in the long-blooming category is the heavenly-scented Osmanthus fragrans, which I grew and dearly loved for years, until
it suddenly crashed and died.Still not
sure why.The flowers were not
conspicuous, but they carry one of my favorite scents ever.And for people with the right conditions (and
perhaps a green thumb), African violets, jasmines, and gardenias can all do
well.Not for me -- they are happiest in high humidity, but others
might have better luck.I do grow Bougainvillea,
but they only bloom well for me in the springtime, but I think if I had better
sun, they would be a longer bloomer.

But back to my once bloomers. I think perhaps they’re wonderful simply
because you have to appreciate them now.I love the sense of anticipation as the big stem of the Amaryllis pushes
up from the pot, and the buds slowly unfurl into splendor.If I don’t take the time to slow down and
admire, I’ll miss it.And have to wait a
whole year!

As my Epiphyllum
“Unforgettable” comes into bud in the spring, I greedily count the buds,
waiting impatiently for the show. And what a show – each flower lasts no more
than a day or two, but they are so improbably Dr. Seuss-like and brilliant, and
there are so many in succession, that it truly is “unforgettable.”I have even been known to take guests up to
my sunroom to admire it in full bloom.

Epiphyllum 'Unforgettable"

And I wait all year for the heavy, sweet scent of the night
blooming jasmine to fill my bedroom – it always seems to be triggered into blooming
when I bring it into the house after a summer outside.

Night blooming jasmine (Cestrum nocturnum)

Yep, I guess those once-bloomers are worth it, after
all.But I won’t be giving up my
workhorses, either.